Packaging arrangements



Dec. 22, 1964 J. P. REPKO PACKAGING ARRANGEMENTS :5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledFeb. 12, 1962 Dec. 22, 1964 REPKO 3,162,539

PACKAGING ARRANGEMENTS Filed Feb. 12, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR(705 PR3? fio Dec. 22, 1964 J. P. REPKO PACKAGING ARRANGEMENTS 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 12, 1962 Jofizz P2522 2 BY 9% Mia QitZZ/?United States Patent Oflice 3,162,539 Patented Dec. 22, 1964 3,162,539PACKAGXNG ARRANGEMENTS John P. Repko, Parma, ()hio, assignor to The DowQhemieai Company, Midland, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb.12, 1962, Ser. No. 172,599 1 Claim. (2. 99-171) This invention relatesto an improvement in product wrapper arrangements and methods relatedthereto.

The art with which the invention is concerned, is of course, wellestablished and many types of carton and wrapper arrangements have beenproposed and utilized with varying degrees of success for each intendedpurpose.

The wrapper of the invention is formed from a thin sheet of heatscalable plastic film, such as polyethylene. Among the featuresassociated with a carton or package wrapper incorporating the principlesof the invention are; provision of easy opening for removal of thepackage contents, assurance of protection of the contents againstcontamination throughout all stages of handling, elimination of stickingtogether of the contents of each package, and reduction of packagingcosts.

Easy opening is provided by use of serrated tear lines, which may bepreformed, or made in a wrapping machine at the time of Wrapping acarton, or forming a packet. Since the overwrap material may be appliedto a product in frozen condition, full protection of the product isassured during all stages of handling. The formation of interconnected,similar size packets, not only allows the stacking of the packets infolded condition, thus providing efficient utilization of storage space,but allows convenient removal of one or more packets as desired for use.The packets also do not adhere together when placed in abuttingrelationship, thereby avoiding sticking of the wrapped products andallowing easy removal of each wrapped product when desired. Since eachpacket is formed without the need for backing material, either in thepacket, or in the formation of the packet seams, reduction of packagingcosts is made possible.

The main object of this invention is to provide an improvement inproduct wrapper arrangements and methods related thereto.

A more specific object is to provide a product wrapper arrangement whichallows easy removal of the product.

Another object is to provide a product wrapper arrangement which guardsthe product against contamination throughout all stages of handling.

Still another object is to provide a product wrapper arrangement whichlends itself to folding to effectively utilize storage space, andWithout sticking together of each packet forming part of thearrangement.

A further object is to provide a product wrapper arrangement wherein areduction of packaging cost is made available.

These and further objects and features of the invention will become moreapparent from the following descrip tion and accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a strip package arrangement illustrative of anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the strip package of FIG. 1 shown in foldedcondition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing a packet being removed from thestrip package arrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged view showing an opened packet;

FIG. 5 illustrates the ease with which a product may be removed from anopened packet of the PEG. 1 type;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a strip package arrangement illustrating amodified form of the invention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan View showing an opened packet after beingremoved from the strip package arrangement of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates the ease with which a product may be removed from anopened packet of the FIG. 6 type;

FIG. 9 is a perspective-like view or" a roll of material used in theformation of the strip package arrangement of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a perspective-like view of a package covering representativeof another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is the same but showing an end cover portion being removed;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a sheet of material used in formation of thepackage covering shown in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective-like view of a roll of material from which thesheet of material of FIG. 12 may be taken.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 5,numeral 16 identifies an embodiment of the invention, which comprises aplurality of similarly formed and generally equal size packets 18, eachbeing connected at one end in sequential order to form a strip packagearrangement as shown. The wrapper, or ma terial of the packets 18, aspreviously mentioned, is preferably a thin heat scalable plasticmaterial, such as polyethylene, which may be transparent to allow visualinspection of the packet contents. Each packet is formed to enclose afood product 20, which may be in refrigerated condition, for example, afrozen beefsteak.

The strip package arrangement 16 is formed on automatic machinery (notshown) Which folds the material, taken from a roll, so as to enclose theproduct 2% and to heat seal the edges of the material to provide anoverlapped seam 22 arranged at the central region of the packet, andextending in the longitudinal direction. A transverse heat seal 24 isprovided which defines the end of each packet 18. At the time thetransverse heat seal is made, a tear line in the form of perforations,or serrations 26, is made adjacent thereto, whereby each packet mayeasily be torn, or ripped from an adjoining packet, as best seen in FIG.3.

It is to be noted that the arrangement provided not only eifectivelyseals each packet 18, so that the contents are completely enclosed, butresults in the opening of one end of each packet as it is torn, orremoved from an adjoining packet. In such manner, a product 2% may beconveniently removed from its packet without any further tearingoperations, and without need for touching the product.

A modified type of strip package arrangement is shown in FIGS. 6 to 9.The main difierence between this arrangement and that previouslydescribed, is that when a packet 32 is removed from the striparrangement 3%, it is still in totally enclosed condition.

As seen in FIG. 6, the strip arrangement includes a plurality of packets32 formed from a strip of plastic material, the longitudinal edges ofwhich are overlapped and sealed to provide a seam 34 at the mid-regionof the packet. A pair of parallel arranged serrations 3d, are positionedto extend longitudinally, the spacing thereof being such as to provideone serration on each side of a formed packet, as seen in FIG. 7. Atransverse heat seal 38 is arranged at each end of a packet 32, and aserration 46 is formed in the mid-region of each of said seals 38.

The strip arrangement fail is formed from a roll of material 42, whichhas the serrations 36, formed therein, said material being fed toautomatic machinery (not shown), which forms the material in packet formabout a product 44, and makes the heat seals 34 and '38, as well as theserrations 40.

In using the packet 32, an edge is torn along the serrations 36 to openthe packet, whereby the product 44 may easily be removed without needfor touching the product.

A further modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS.10 to 13, wherein a carton 48 is shown having an overwrap, or cover 50,which is formed of a heat scalable plastic film, such as polyethylene.The overwrap material 50, is taken from a roll 52 and is formed with asingle line of serrations 54 arranged parallel with one edge and inspaced relation thereto, depending upon the size of the carton to bewrapped. The serrations 54, may in the alternative, be made by thewrapping machine (not shownlduring a wrapping operation. In wrapping thecarton, the serrations are arranged to extend about the carton towardone end thereof, to provide an end seal 56, as seen in FIGS. 10 and 11.To open the carton, the overwrap end seal may easily be removed bytearing along the serrated line 54 in the manner shown in FIG. 11. Itwill be apparent that the arrangement of the overwrap 50, with thepreformed serrations 54, not only provides an effective manner forcovering a carton, but allows convenient removal thereof by the ultimateuser. I

It will be seen that all three of the above described embodimentsachieve the objectives of the invention set forth hereinbefore.

The foregoing description has been given in detail without thought oflimitation since the inventive principles involved are capable ofassuming other forms without departing from the spirit of the inventionor the scope of the following claim.

What is claimed is:

A plurality of interconnected packets of heat sealed plastic materialcapable of being stacked in folded condition, each packet containing afood product and connected at opposite ends in sequential order to anadjacent packet forming a strip package arrangement and each readilyseparable from said arrangement as an opened packet comprising aplurality of individual food products with a strip of heat sealableplastic material wrapped about said food products and having itslongitudinal edges overlapped and heat sealed together providing alongitudinal seam and transverse heat seals formed between each of saidpackets containing s-aid food products, and perforated tear lines formedadjacent each of said transverse heat seals whereby each packet of saidplurality of interconnected packets may be simultaneously opened andeasily torn from its adjoining packet in said arrangement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,286,877 Graham Dec 3, 1918 2,154,521 Maxfield Apr. 18, 1939 2,194,451Soubier Mar. 19, 1940 2,248,266 Abrams July 8, 1941 2,324,541 Salfixbrg.July 20, 1943 2,332,857 Karg Oct. 26, 1943 2,335,159 Salfisberg 2 Nov.23, 1943 2,430,995 R008V Nov. 18, 1947 2,565,887 Salfisberg Aug. 28,1951 2,722,993 Gerber et a1. Nov. 8, 1955 2,732,111 Fogle Jan. 24, 19562,759,648 PiaZZe Aug. 21, 1956 2,773,285 Piazza et a1; r Dec. 11, 19562,878,929 Leupold 2-2 Mar. 24, 1959 2,888,133 Betteridge 2 May 26, 1959FOREIGN PATENTS 352,620 Switzerland Apr. 14, 1961 927,529 Germany -2..-"May 12, 1955

